Tema Stauffer

"Upstate" is a series of color photographs exploring urban and rural environments and relics in or around Hudson, New York. The first city chartered in the United States in 1785, Hudson has a long history of economic prosperity and decline. Located on the banks of the Hudson River, it has...
"Upstate" is a series of color photographs exploring urban and rural environments and relics in or around Hudson, New York. The first city chartered in the United States in 1785, Hudson has a long history of economic prosperity and decline. Located on the banks of the Hudson River, it has undergone vivid transitions from a thriving whaling and merchant seaport to a boom-and-bust factory town, then to a depressed and struggling city throughout much of the 20th century, and transformed again in recent decades by revitalization and economic growth. This small city is characterized by eclectic examples of early American architecture and is surrounded by agricultural communities cultivated by Dutch settlers in the Hudson Valley. The photographs of "Upstate" record the imprint of American industrial and agricultural history left on settings throughout this region. Lyrically depicted are ordinary houses, front porches, decaying barns, parked cars, winter branches and evocative landscapes, along with portraits of local residents. Some of these photographs reveal a haunted or melancholic atmosphere that permeates the Hudson Valley, where the past remains deeply resonant. Combining poetry with realism, these images express a quiet beauty and mystery in the vernacular architecture and artifacts reflecting the industrial era and rural settings in upstate New York and the shifting economic realities over time.
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River's Edge, Hudson, New York, 2017
Fugary Fishing Shacks, Hudson, New York, 2016
Winter Path, Livingston, New York, 2016
Orchard Burning, Livingston, New York, 2016
Union Street, Hudson, New York, 2016
White Car, Hudson, New York, 2016
Reggie, Hudson, New York, 2016
Yellow House, Germantown, New York, 2016
Rear Bedroom, Oliver Bronson House, Hudson, New York, 2016
Collapsing Barn with Sumac Trees, Kinderhook, New York, 2016